[Anchorman]

Osaka Prefecture's cops are the worst in the country, with data showing that they're not worth the money taxpayers are footing for them, according to Flash (5/8-15).

The men's weekly looked at each of Japan's 47 prefectural police forces and tried to determine whether they were worth what they are paid.

Used to calculate the findings were four factors - arrest rates, police costs per capita, average salary and number of public scandals reported.

Osaka just pipped Tokyo to take the dubious title, its 16.9 percent arrest rate among the lowest in Japan even though its pay and police costs trailed only the capital as the highest in the country.

What's more, Osaka claimed a dismal 14 public scandals over the past 15 months, a staggering six of which were related to sex offenses including male police officers involved in indecent assaults, train groping and trespassing in women's toilets.

"Private industry sets salary standards according to achievements and abilities, but the police forces are hierarchical organizations and each prefecture is permitted to set pay levels at whatever they deem appropriate," lifestyle consultant Kenichi Horikoshi tells Flash. "Really, what should be happening is the National Police Agency sets wages for each prefectural police force depending on factors like crime rates, arrest rates and the number of scandals, but the reality is that it doesn't work like that and prefectural forces decide everything for themselves."

Data showed that prefectural polices performed less effectively the more urbanized they are. Population plays a part, with more people meaning more crime. But there were also plenty of prefectural police forces where cops were paid good wages even though arrest rates were abysmally low.

"If you add bi-annual bonuses to police officer's monthly wages, you'd get an annual wage of around 7.5 million yen. The average annual salary of someone in the private industry is just 4.37 million yen, according to National Taxation Agency figures," Horikoshi says. "Police officers are clearly paid much more than the people they're supposed to be protecting. Or, putting that another way, citizens are paying out that much because they expect the police to deliver. It would be entirely understandable for citizens to expect to be well protected by the police, at the very least."

One reason why police wages are so high is that there is an element of danger involved in the work, a point that most people would have little difficulty coming to terms with. However, growing numbers of police officers are finding themselves on the wrong side of the law following arrests for such things as theft, prostitution and even destruction of evidence.

Lifestyle consultant Horikoshi, however, warns that it's still a bit early to be too harsh on crimefighters.

"The vast majority of police officers have a strong sense of justice and do what's right. It's only a few bad eggs who damage the image of the force as a whole," Horikoshi tells Flash. "But if the police do the work they're paid to do, I'm sure citizens will have no problem paying the taxes needed to fund that." (By Ryann Connell)